Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Seeing Cao Qi's bewildered expression, Cao Rui did not continue the conversation. Instead, he rode his horse and led Cao Qi, along with his attendants Wang Su and Cui Lin, into Yangping Pass. Accompanied by Cao Tai, they ascended the city wall of Yangping Pass.

As the sun began to set, the towering walls cast a huge, blurry silhouette on the east side. It was rare to see such a massive structure, and the crowd fell silent upon witnessing it.

Wang Su stared at the east side for a long time, pondering for a moment, then turned around and bowed to Cao Rui:

"Your Majesty, I just overheard Your Majesty's conversation with the Prince of Ye, and I have some thoughts on the matter. I would like to ask Your Majesty for your wise decision."

Cao Rui glanced at Wang Su sideways and said, "Please speak, Minister Wang."

Wang Su said, "Your Majesty discussed the accumulation of strategic momentum with the Prince of Ye. I reviewed the major events that have occurred in the more than ten years since Your Majesty ascended the throne."

"In terms of military affairs, Your Majesty personally commands the central army in every battle, whether it is to go on an expedition or to provide support. Whether it is Huainan or Guanzhong, you can personally command the troops even if it is thousands of miles away. The court is never afraid of war, and does not seek war in peacetime. However, whenever war comes, you must first make preparations inside and outside the court and do your best to achieve complete victory."

"In terms of political affairs, His Majesty has never made major changes to personnel matters, but rather made slight adjustments based on the circumstances. He abolished the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, established the Grand Secretariat, set up the Privy Council, divided the Central Army into different units, reduced taxes, abolished civilian settlements, divided up major prefectures, and established the Jiangnan Regional Military Commission... all in accordance with the prevailing trend."

"Only today have I truly understood Your Majesty's extraordinary talent and strategic vision. It is a great blessing for all the people of the Great Wei to have such a wise ruler as Your Majesty!"

Cao Rui listened to Wang Su's words and fell silent for a moment, which was unusual for him.

"If we talk about accumulating great momentum, this is actually something that Lord Dong taught me in the seventh year of Huangchu. I have been practicing this for many years, which is why I often respect Lord Dong in court, and even bestow upon him the title of King."

"In the end, it all comes down to winning to appease the people and accumulating national strength without depletion. The only enemies of Great Wei are Wu and Shu. Now that Wu has been destroyed, only Shu remains. Looking at these two kingdoms, Wu and Shu, and the Sun and Liu families, they have been allies for decades, but in reality, they have been fighting each other and repeatedly consuming each other internally. For Great Wei, not making any mistakes is the greatest correct course of action."

Wang Su cupped his hands again, saying, "This is the proper way for a monarch to ascend to the throne."

Cao Rui patted Cao Qi on the shoulder: "Wang Shizhong is a great Confucian scholar of the world. You must remember his words!"

"Yes." Cao Qi nodded and bowed to Wang Su again.

Cao Rui did not intend to return to Mianyang today, but instead planned to stay overnight at Yangping Pass. As dusk approached, four Gentlemen-at-Arms also rode from Mianyang to Yangping Pass.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects." The four mounted guards bowed in unison.

Cao Rui nodded slightly: "Didn't I order the four of you to write a proclamation for me in Mianyang? Have you finished writing it by now?"

"Your Majesty, we have finished writing." Wei Guan took out a document from his backpack and respectfully handed it over.

Cao Rui did not reach out to take it, but instead casually pointed to something and said, "Qi'er, come and read this text to me."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Cao Qi, who was standing to the side, bowed and then walked towards Wei Guan.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Wei Guan lowered his head, unsure how to interact with Cao Qi.

Cao Qi, however, remained unusually calm. He walked slowly to the document, retrieved it, and then walked back slowly, unfolded it gently, and read aloud:

"It is said that fortune and misfortune have no fixed gate, but are summoned by people. To act according to circumstances and avoid danger is the wisdom of the sage. To adapt to changing circumstances and be able to make progress even in distress is the consideration of the wise."

"In the past, the Han dynasty declined, the land was fragmented, and the lives of the people were nearly lost. Our Great Ancestor, Emperor Wu, was divinely wise and sagacious, who restored order to the land, saved it from collapse, and established our empire. Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Wen, obeyed the will of Heaven and the people, and ascended the throne. However, beyond the borders, there were different policies and customs, and the people of the land were not yet under the rule of the emperor..."

"I grieve for the people of Ba and Shu, who are alone among the bandits. I pity these people, whose labor is yet to end. Therefore, I have appointed six armies to carry out Heaven's punishment. The armies of Guanzhong, Jingnan, and Jiaozhou, with a combined force of over 200,000, advance in three routes. In ancient times, military campaigns were based on benevolence and governed by righteousness. The army of a true king conquers without fighting..."

"...If one seeks temporary peace and remains deluded, once the army is unleashed, all will be shattered. Even if one wishes to repent, it will be too late. One should carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages and seek one's own good fortune. This should be announced to all so that everyone may know."

As Cao Qi read aloud, Cao Rui, Wang Su, Cui Lin, Cao Tai, and four mounted attendants listened quietly. Only after Cao Qi finished reading with measured intonation did Cao Rui nod and address the group:

"Compared to the Imperial Academy ten years ago, you students are clearly more skilled in rhetoric and poetry, and your literary style is flourishing—a sight only seen in prosperous times. Was this a collaborative work by the four of you?"

"Your Majesty, it was done by the four of us," Wei Guan replied.

Cao Rui then asked, "Who wrote the last line? Is it this line, 'If one seeks temporary peace and doesn't turn back, once the army is unleashed, everything will be shattered. Even if one wishes to repent, it will be too late'?"

Zhong Hui took a half step forward, then cupped his hands in a rather smug manner and replied, "Your Majesty, the ending was written by me."

Cao Rui laughed and said, "You used Chen Kongzhang's words here? That's not entirely unacceptable. Zhong Hui, since you can write such majestic words, I wonder how courageous you are?"

Zhong Hui was slightly taken aback: "Your Majesty, I will obey your orders!" Cao Rui said: "Alright, tomorrow I will send you to Yang'an Pass with this letter to deliver this proclamation on my behalf. More than ten years ago when I was in Chiting, Jiang Boyue, who was then serving as a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, made three trips to the Shu camp on my behalf. He is now a general of the court commanding ten thousand troops."

"Zhong Hui, I'm entrusting you with this opportunity to make a name for yourself today!"

The fourteen-year-old boy was momentarily stunned, but when he realized everyone was looking at him, his face instantly turned red: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty does not know..."

Cao Rui shifted his gaze and then looked in the direction of the other three riders, namely Wei Guan, Du Yu, and Yang Hu: "If Zhong Hui doesn't go, do the three of you have the guts?"

"Your subject is willing to go!" Du Yu was the first to respond with a cupped hand.

"Your Majesty, I am also willing to go," Wei Guan and Yang Hu said at the same time, a little slower than usual.

"Very well, Du Yu, I will..." Before Cao Rui could finish speaking, Zhong Hui knelt down and bowed, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go! I dare to go!"

"You really dare?" Cao Rui chuckled lightly.

“Truly! I dare say so!” Zhong Hui said repeatedly.

Cao Rui nodded slightly: "Very well, tomorrow I will have General Cao send ten men to accompany you. Do not disgrace me! Rise."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Zhong Hui hurriedly stood up.

Seeing Zhong Hui's tense state, Wang Su, Cui Lin, Cao Tai, and the others were almost all suppressing their laughter.

The reason for sending Zhong Hui was partly due to Cao Rui's quirky sense of humor, and partly because the task always needed to be done, so sending Zhong Hui was not unreasonable.

If the other party were Sun Quan, Cao Rui might not be so at ease. But since the other party was Zhuge Liang, Cao Rui believed that he would not do something like killing an envoy. Back then, when Jiang Wei was sent on a mission, he returned safely.

Meanwhile, in Chengdu, Liu Shan and his ministers Zhuge Liang swiftly prepared for a full-scale war. Imperial edicts were issued from Chengdu, reaching all corners of Shu, signaling a complete shift to wartime measures.

The day after Hu Ji arrived in Chengdu, Zhuge Liang rode with Hu Ji north to Baishui to personally oversee the northern front.

Chancellor Zhuge Liang went north to oversee the situation in the north, Minister Jiang Wan went to Fu County to lead 20,000 soldiers as reserves, Military Advisor General Yang Yi was ordered to lead 10,000 troops east to Guanghan as support, and Protector General Fei Yi stayed in Chengdu to assist Liu Shan in handling political affairs.

For a time, the entire Shu region was gripped by pre-battle panic and tension. Of course, in the event of a major battle, officials from Yizhou would inevitably offer advice on cherishing the people's strength. With a formidable enemy at hand, Liu Shan did not hesitate to personally order the execution of two officials who had been the most vocal in their arguments. As a result, the Shu region was brought under control, and no one dared to offer any further advice.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. With the Wei army poised to crush the border, killing a few officials might damage the court's prestige, but if we don't immediately mobilize manpower and resources to prepare for war, the future... well, whether there will even be a future is another matter!

It took Hu Ji four days to travel from Baishui to Chengdu. Zhuge Liang's body was clearly unable to withstand such a rapid journey, and he barely managed to arrive in Baishui on June 29th.

Zhuge Liang's personal presence at the front lines brought a great sense of security to everyone from Wang Ping and Hu Ji to ordinary soldiers. For Zhuge Liang, being personally at the front lines allowed him to obtain more information, provide feedback earlier, and feel more at ease.

However, on the second day, June 30, Gao Xiang, the garrison commander of 5,000 troops at Yang'an Pass, sent someone back to Baishui Pass and brought with him Zhong Hui, an envoy from the Wei army.

Upon hearing that Emperor Cao Rui of Wei had sent a fourteen-year-old boy as an envoy, Wang Ping and others believed that this was a sign of Wei's contempt for the Han Dynasty. They all advised the prime minister to reject the envoy or even behead him to demonstrate the court's irreconcilable stance against Wei.

But Zhuge Liang refused.

"Regardless of his age, since he is an envoy, I should at least meet him and see who Cao Rui has sent." Zhuge Liang coughed a few times and said slowly, "Since he is an envoy, we should be able to glean some information from his words. Let him come."

"Yes." Wang Ping cupped his hands in response and personally went outside the hall to lead Zhong Hui in.

"Zhong Hui, a Gentleman Attendant of the Wei Dynasty, has come to pay his respects to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang by imperial decree." Zhong Hui was in the Shu camp and dared not act rashly, so his etiquette was impeccable.

Attendant Gentleman of the Palace?

Zhuge Liang was momentarily dazed, recalling Jiang Wei of Tianshui, who had once conversed fluently with him in the Chiting camp, and couldn't help but ask:
"Your name is Zhong Hui? Where is Jiang Boyue, who came to my camp as an envoy years ago?"

Zhong Hui straightened up and replied with a respectful but not arrogant bow: "Jiang Boyue is currently the Left Valiant Guard General of the Central Army of the Great Wei, commanding 10,000 elite cavalry."

Ten thousand elite cavalry… Upon hearing this, Wang Ping sighed inwardly. He remembered that Jiang Boyue wasn't even thirty years old back then, was he? He could lead ten thousand elite cavalry before he was even forty? Even the Han Dynasty didn't have ten thousand elite cavalry!
Zhuge Liang nodded, his expression unchanged: "I've heard from General Gao that you've come to deliver a declaration of war. Will Jiang Boyue participate in the battle this time?" (End of Chapter)